Thursday 31 January 2008 19.10 EST
First published on Thursday 31 January 2008 19.10 EST

Fabio Capello is too good a manager to masquerade as an impresario. The make-up of his first England squad was a studied exercise in avoiding showmanship. Those perusing the preliminary list of 30 names for next Wednesday's friendly with Switzerland at Wembley found themselves stifling a yawn rather than a gasp of astonishment.

There was no room for the uncapped Dave Kitson, the Reading striker who had been tipped to be accommodated. There was even self-denial from Capello, who assigned players such as Manchester City's goalkeeper Joe Hart and Tottenham Hotspur's Aaron Lennon to the Under-21 party because of the important European Championship qualifier with the Republic of Ireland at Southampton's St Mary's stadium on the evening before the Switzerland match.

Close scrutiny of Capello's list was called for before robust verdicts could be identified. The 31-year-old Phil Neville was not included and although he has been overlooked in the past it is ominous for the Everton player that he could not find a berth in a roomy squad which will have seven names cut tomorrow. Sol Campbell, 33, can also draw a grim conclusion about his absence from the group.

The decision not to pick David Beckham was ascribed to a lack of match fitness, and the LA Galaxy midfielder's hopes of landing his 100th cap may depend on England friendlies at the very end of this season. But there is a new challenge for his post with the presence of Gabriel Agbonlahor in the full party. Although Agbonlahor is often seen in a central role at Aston Villa he can be fielded on the right. It is not impossible that he will be one of the seven names who drop out when the squad is trimmed but it would seem futile to call him up from the Under-21s and then send him back there.

Curtis Davies, the other uncapped player, is also at Villa, where his loan move from West Bromwich Albion will become long-term in the summer. Despite the injury that rules out John Terry, Davies is one of seven centre-halfs in the party, including those occasional right-backs Wes Brown and Micah Richards, now that Matthew Upson has been brought back into the fold.

It is an obvious area for trimming, although that may happen naturally if the recalled Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate, with their well known knee problems, suffer a reaction after Tottenham's game with Manchester United tomorrow. Since Terry is already missing, a new captain has to be identified, with Steven Gerrard and perhaps Rio Ferdinand the main candidates.

Capello's squad is an assertion that there is no need for a manager of his distinction to make a portentous statement. His predecessor, Steve McClaren, surely had a symbolic purpose in mind when he ditched Beckham at the beginning of his tenure, but the Italian's misgivings are entirely practical.

Capello has shown a degree of understanding elsewhere in the selection of Michael Owen, who has scored one goal, against Stoke City, in eight appearances for Newcastle United since his thigh injury in the friendly international with Austria. The preference for retaining him is an amalgam of faith in his innate talent and recognition that hitting the net regularly for the St James' Park club would be a stiff task for anyone at the moment. There may be more opportunities with his country because Capello has named Emile Heskey, the Wigan Athletic target man who brings out the prolific best in Owen. In any case it would have been reckless to overlook the Newcastle forward when other strikers who have been named, such as Peter Crouch, are hardly running amok either.

So far as squad development goes, there is little alternative but to follow the path that McClaren had started to take, with both David Bentley and Ashley Young in the provisional squad. But there is an opportunity to set a new course where the goalkeeping position is concerned. David James may well start against Switzerland but he will be 38 at the opening of next season. Scott Carson is one challenger and, although West Ham's Rob Green might have anticipated being involved, the other berth has gone, presumably at the urging of Capello's goalkeeping coach Franco Tancredi, to Chris Kirkland, who joins Heskey as the second Wigan player in the group.

Having announced a squad bereft of surprises, Capello will give the first indication of the difference his management skills can make when he endeavours to make a new start with familiar players.